Hope Born of Suffering
by M-shizzle
Summary: BK..An unexpected bump in the streets introduces Kenji to Kaoru. Plunging them into all kinds of trouble and dangers that could cost both of their lives. But don’t assume she doesn’t have the means to keep Kenji protected.
1. Chapter 1

Rated M for violence.

Summary: BK. An unexpected bump in the streets introduces Kenji to Kaoru, the owner of a small antique store and part time kendo instructor. Plunging her into all kinds of trouble and dangers that could cost both of their lives. But don't assume she doesn't have the means to keep Kenji protected.

Beta reader(s) needed.

Hope Born of Suffering

_Little feet stumbled over uneven concrete and week old trash littered the path he tottered down. Clothes were filthy with grime and sewage from when he had fallen earlier in his eager attempt to break away from the large hands that had gripped his arms. His eyes watered from the stench that seemed to originate from the ground itself, choking him as he desperately gasped for breath. _

"_The boy. Get the boy, he's getting away!"_

_Tears blurred his vision and smells rising from the ally made it difficult to create distance from the sounds behind him. A sharp slap followed by a gasp reached his ears. He clenched his fists and resisted the urge to turn around and see what was happening. She had told him to not look back. To run, to get away and damn it. He was trying._

_Heavy foot steps echoed from behind him. Panic moved him faster, head down and looking to the floor for the best footing so that he wouldn't trip again. Red hair browned by dirty water and filth plastered to his face._

_He tripped out of the ally way onto the cleaner street, busy with people and neon lights. He fell hard, body jarring with the impact. He took a moment to look at the fresh wound. Limping back to his feet, he merged himself into the crowd of people. He held his left arm protectively to his body, clumsily walking within the moving crowd._

_He struggled to keep his body moving; vision blurred in dizziness with a few steps. The people did not see him. He was easy to miss, considering the fact that the top of his head only reached their waist. Suppressing the panic that rose, he looked at the buildings and streets as best he could among the bodies. He didn't know where he was. _

_Where am I?_

_Where am I supposed to go? _

_He slowed his walk and leaned heavily against a light post, breathing in shallow breaths. Cringing, pain shot up his arm. He flexed his fingers but felt nothing; his arm suddenly going numb, followed by a wave of sensation like pin pricks, had him gritting his teeth. Pushing off from the pole made his head spin and vision spot. Swaying, he continued walking. _

_Tears slipped to the ground. Feeling helpless, he tried his best to not get trampled. Bumping into a pair of legs, he sharply staggered to the right. Biting his lip to muffle his cry of pain. The person he bumped into made no indication of acknowledgment to the accidental collision. _

_No more._

_Hurts._

_Smooth hands rested on his shoulders. Not bothering to look up, he slumped into the support. The noise of the city dimmed like sound does under water. There was black and then blue. A smell something like flowers and apples._

_Black spotted his vision._

_Hurts. _

_And then nothing._

_--_

The stars could hardly be seen above the fancy buildings and skyscrapers. It was more of the smog than actual clouds that hid the twinkle of the winter night sky.

Kaoru hummed a nameless tune as she came out from her little shop. The front walls the shop were made of glass which gave a deceptive show case of what the shop sold. Vintage books and toys. A dress hung prettily on a headless mannequin had the potential to turn a goddess ugly if it was worn; was logically, still standing in front of the window, on sale.

Locking the double glass doors together. Shaking the door slightly to check that it had indeed been locked. Her breaths came out in white puffs in the cold night air.

The Akabeko, a popular restaurant facing the antique store, was crowded with customers and golden light illuminated the side walk from the entrance. Kaoru headed toward the restaurant.

_It's been awhile since I've treated myself to one of Tae's noodles. _

Swallowing the saliva generated by the thought of food, Kaoru's eyes brightened as she caught sight of the restaurant.

Kaoru bit back a curse when she almost toppled over by an unexpected body walking into her knees. Gaining balance by widening her stance she turned around to see what had bumped into her.

The thoughts of food dimmed; eyes widening at the small body that was riddled with scratches. She steadied the boy when he fainted. Looking around for the guardian of the child. Angry that anyone would leave their child in this condition, she glared at the people milling the streets.

Taking a catalogue of his injuries, she gingerly lifted him into her arms. Turned around and headed for help.

_--_

"Kaoru!"

A woman in a white coat stepped aside from the door allowing Kaoru to enter. She tensed when she assessed the condition of the boy and half expected Kaoru to be the same or worse. She relaxed a little when she realized the only blood stains on Kaoru were from where she and the child had touched.

Kaoru laid the boy on one of the beds. "He's hurt pretty bad."

The doctor followed after with supplies. First cutting away at his soiled clothing to see the damage done to his small body.

Scrapes were the majority of his wounds; arms, hands, knees and legs. The largest wound was a gash from the small of his back reaching almost to his stomach that had her frowning. It wasn't deep, but she still needed to stitch it closed.

Kaoru sat down on a near by stool and watched the woman dab iodine to various cuts. Expecting the questions.

"Well, is he yours?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"For as long as you've known me Megumi. Did I ever look pregnant to you?"

Megumi smirked.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes and continued. "He bumped into me on my way to see Tae tonight. I couldn't just leave him there on the street, and if I took him to the hospital they would have asked too many questions."

Megumi was half way done in wrapping the boy's right arm.

"This isn't your regular stray dog or cat Kaoru. He could be a missing child and his parents are probably looking for him. It'd be better to take him to the police."

"The police?" Kaoru gave Megumi a skeptical look.

Megumi sighed. "Or to the social services, they take care of these kinds of situations."

When she glanced up, she saw the look on Kaoru's face.

"It's their _job_, Kaoru. Not _yours_."

Kaoru frowned defiantly.

Megumi yelped in surprise when the boy the arm she was treating was ripped from her grip. The boy bodily threw himself away from Megumi and crashed into the stand with the trays of medical supplies. The stand crashed to the ground; equipment clattered to the floor and the bandages rolled away. When the bed rails wouldn't move, he shook them violently and screamed.

Worried that the boy would open his fresh stitches, Megumi tried to hold him still onto the bed. It took the combined strengths of both Kaoru and Megumi to keep the boy on the bed. Adrenalin fueled his strength.

Megumi fumbled for the needle on the needle that had fallen to the floor. After taking a close glance at the label, Megumi took off the cap of the needle with her teeth and injected the serum into his arm. It took seconds for the medicine to take effect. Megumi helped Kaoru lower the boy back onto the bed and started to rewrap the bandage she was working on before the sudden outburst.

Kaoru bent over the boy as she untangled his hand that had fisted into her hair when she had tried to subdue the boy. Falling back on to her stool with a disgruntled look; she studied her now tangled hair. With a huff she swung her mass of hair behind her and stood up.

She joined Megumi's crouched form on the floor to help pick up the fallen objects.

"The right thing is to take the boy to the police."

Megumi stated as she righted the fallen stand. Kaoru said nothing as she picked up the last of the equipment from under the bed, dumped them into Megumi's waiting hand and straightened.

"My intentions were to help him when I picked him up off the street. And I intend to leave him with someone that both he and I can trust."

Megumi pursed her lips in annoyance and glared down at the shorter woman. Stubbornly, Kaoru glared right back.

"Plus Megumi," Kaoru started out strongly and ended in a soft mumble.

I'm sure I could give better care and protection for the boy than the police. And it looked like he was running from something. Something dangerous to the looks of it."

Kaoru frowned as she gazed at the sleeping boy's form. Megumi's glare softened and she sighed as hung her white coat on a hanger.

"I don't want to treat bullet wounds this time Kaoru."

Kaoru flushed slightly and hid behind her bangs.

"No broken bones either."

"That was only once!" Kaoru tried to refute.

Megumi gave her an all knowing look and Kaoru was at loss of a response. Biting her lip she looked at the walls for change of subject and luckily found one.

"Anyway," she said quickly. "It's almost 12 am, it's late, I'll take him home clean him up and figure this out in the morning. I'll call."

Kaoru swung her purse on to her right shoulder and gathered the boy into her arms.

"Thanks Megumi, sorry for keeping you in so late."

"No problem, call me if you need help with the boy. Wait..."

Kaoru paused from her trek to the door.

Megumi came out from the closet with a dark blanket.

"People might wonder why you're carrying around a heavily bandaged kid. If there are people really looking for him, covering his hair would be a good idea, it's too bright and easily to spot."

Said Megumi as she lightly draped the blanked over the boy and tucked it around his shoulders so that it wouldn't slip as Kaoru maneuvered her way home.

Satisfied that none of his features showed from beneath the shadow of the blanket, the three made their way out of the building. Megumi triggered the alarm system and locked up. They exchanged farewells and instructions

"He should be unconscious until tomorrow so don't worry about waking him up. But he'll be thirsty when he wakes up."

Megumi squeezed Kaoru's shoulder and the two women separated ways. Kaoru watched as Megumi easily weaved into the crowded streets mostly consisting of night partiers coming out and the late office workers returning home milled the streets.

A fifteen minute ride on the subway and a few blocks later. The lock rattled as the key turned and street light spilled into the dark apartment. Kaoru stepped onto the wood planked walk way and shut the door behind her by slowly backing into it. Fumbled a little behind her for the lock; balancing the boy to her as she made sure all the locks were in place. She stepped out of her shoes and shoved them to the side of the wall with her foot. Popped on the main room light with her shoulder and headed toward her bed room. Shrugging off her purse, she dumped it on the dinning table as they passed it.

She laid the boy gently on to her bed, cradling the back of his head with her hand as she placed him on the pillow. She arranged his body into a comfortable position. Took off his soiled shoes and socks and eyed the dark smudge that the shoes left behind._ I guess I have to wash my sheets tomorrow_. Megumi had taken his clothes off at the clinic when she had bandaged him up and now he wore a child's hospital dress. She took out a light blanket from her drawer and covered him waist high.

The edge of the bed dipped under her weight. She sat awhile and watched the boy breathe. Flashes of light from passing traffic consistently flooded various parts of the room. Exhaling slowly, she grinned when the boy gave a small snore. She tried to clench her teeth in an attempt to stifle a yawn but it came out anyway. Getting ready for bed seemed like a good idea.

After brushing her teeth and pulling on her pajamas she curled on the opposite end of her queen sized bed. Although she didn't have a TV or a large apartment, a large and comfortable bed was not a luxury but rather a need. The bed had been a gift from her mother. One of the few things she had not sold for money when she had none.

Face saddening at the memory of his terrified face when he had ran into her.

_You're so young. _

She frowned. Turning her back to the boy she shut her eyes.

_I guess I'm opening class late tomorrow._

Was her last thought.

_--_

Kaoru woke to loud banging. She shifted towards the boy's side of the bed to predictably find it empty. She followed towards the source of the noise emanating from her front door.

The boy had some how managed to find a hammer in her apartment and was currently creating dents on her door and the metal handle was twisted in such a way that made her eyes widen and then narrow.

_That's gonna cost me 230,000 yen for a new door. _

She closed her eyes and brought her index finger to her forehead to try to rein in her temper.

Keeping herself at a safe swinging or chucking distance away from the boy and his hammer. She cleared her throat intended to dispel the sudden tightness. But the small noise had caught the boy's attention. He whirled around so fast (it was a wonder how he had not given himself whiplash) and whipped the hammer out in front of him like a weapon to face her with fierce eyes that had her doubting if it was a 5 year old she was really dealing with.

She lifted her hands up in a placating manner.

"H- hey..?"

The boy did not respond to her lame belated welcome to her home. He had sweat beading down his face. And the tear marks staining his face showed that he had cried earlier. He still glared at her. Maybe with less anger but the fear was still in his eyes. The bandages around his arms had loosened with his hammer exercises and the cuts there had started to bleed again.

Kaoru was frozen in place. She took in shallow breaths to not frighten the boy.

The two were silent for a while. Both were unsure what to expect from the other.

_This is ridiculous,_ she thought.

"Your arm is bleeding."

She started dully.

What was she afraid of?

"Here, let's take care of that arm. And then I can make breakfast. You must be hungry, you look hungry-"

Her ramblings were cut short when the boy interrupted.

"Who are you?"

"Ah.. My name is Kamiya Kaoru and this is my apartme-"

"NO!" The boy shouted. Tears gathering in his eyes clearly frustrated.

"WHO ARE YOU?! You with those mans aren't you." he finished in a hiss. Teeth clenched.

"I'm not with anyone. I'm not going to hurt you, let's get you cleaned up."

He narrowed his eyes when Kaoru inched forward.

"How do I know you don't hurt me?"

She shrugged. Raising her hands a little higher. She gave a small smile.

"You're the one with the hammer kid."

She sighed when the boy keep glaring.

"Don't you remember anything from last night? You ran into me on the street and passed out."

She took a few steps closer until she was only an arms length away and kneeled to his level.

"Who hurt you? Can you tell me?" she soothed. Keeping her hands visible, she rested them on her knees.

The boy's eyes widened. He remembered running out of his home, clutching the larger hand with both of his. Tripping and being picked up. The dark ally way. The fight. Blood, some it his, but mostly hers. He had run then, admits the struggling and pained cries. He remembered bumping in to this woman named Kaoru and that she had smelled nice. Just like flowers.

"Tomoe-san" He whispered.

He dropped the hammer and it clattered to the ground. Kaoru discreetly took the hammer and hid it in the shoe shelf to the right of her. He whimpered and brought his hands to cover his face. She rested her hand on his head in comfort. She didn't expect him to launch himself at her to punch and hit as best as a 5 year old could. She winced when a punch landed on the side of her face. Despite his failing limbs, she did the only thing that she thought would calm him; hugged him. He thrashed and thumped his small fists on her shoulder for a few seconds until he was still in her arms.

He sniffled a little as she pulled away. She looked at his young face and smiled weakly.

"Hungry?"

He shook his head in a negative. Looking down to the floor, arms and legs lifeless as he leaned against the wall.

_He's such a liar. He's so skinny, doesn't look like he had a proper meal in a while._

"Well.."

She began but her stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. He looked up at her with wide eyes that finally showed something other than fear or anger. She blushed at his look and brought a hand to her stomach.

"Well, I'M hungry. So how about we eat something?"

Kaoru couldn't believe her eyes when he cracked a small smile at her embarrassed face. He gave a small nod and timidly wrapped his arms around her neck. She picked him off of the floor and sat him on the kitchen counter. He was too small to sit on the chair. She took a two bowls from the dish rack and handed one to him. Spoons came next. She rummaged in her cabinet for a while and brought out a packet of oatmeal. She brought it up to him and lifted an eyebrow in question.

He frowned and leaned away from the packet. She wrinkled her nose in agreement and threw the packet into the dark crevices of the food cabinet. He looked at her every move unblinkingly. Still weary about trusting her but the long black hair swinging at her back calmed and reminded him of her. Even though the her eye color was different he couldn't help but trust her.

She drew away from the cabinet with an armful of cereal boxes that had the boy's violet eyes widening in appreciation. She smirked smugly.

"Behold my glorious cereal collection." She dumped them on the counter next to him and lined them up.

"Now, the choosing part. First, Honey nut cherrios? Mmm no? Fruit loops, lucky charms, captain crunch, apple jacks-"

(A/N: sorry.. couldn't help it. i LOVE cereal.)

She paused when he picked up the lucky charms with both hands and rested the box on his knees and looked at the box.

"Wise choice my young jedi. You will be learning all the ways of cereal from me." She deepened her voice in mock seriousness.

He gave her a puzzled look as she took the box from his hands and poured some into his bowl.

"My name not jud-eye." He pronounced with difficulty.

Kaoru slowed in pouring the milk as she watched him.

"My name is Kenji." He said as he brought a hand to his chest subconsciously.

She handed him his cereal. He awkwardly held his spoon as he shoveled food into his mouth.

Her lips twitched as she tried her best to suppress her smile that was prompted by his actions. Luckily, he was focused on what he was putting into his mouth and did not see her poorly concealed amusement. But her face suddenly twisted into a horrified look. The poor boy didn't know about Star Wars. Reminding herself to show her DVD collection later and started eating her own breakfast.

She frowned when she remembered why the boy was in her temporary custody. Kenji happily munched on his cereal and occasionally hesitantly kicked out his feet from the cabinet. A habitual gesture of someone who's legs never quite reached the floor.

Kaoru finished her last spoon of milk and looked up to see if the boy had finished, but only to find his bowl empty and him staring.

"Do you want more?"

He shook his head 'no'. _Ah, back to the silent one word answers. _She thought sadly.

Taking the bowl from his hands, she put the dishes in the sink. She still needed to gain Kenji's trust, and perhaps a bath should come before all the questions. Kaoru eyed Kenji's filthy hair, she hadn't noticed before but he stank.

She grinned widely.

"How about a bath?"

_--_

The room was dark. No windows marked the walls; only the outline of the door could be seen in the dark void. One could not see if the room was furnished or even occupied. But the air in the room was crisp and clean. The blinking light of the telephone was emphasized by the dark, winking brightly and cheerfully, and waited for someone to answer its call.

The ring abruptly ended when a pale hand picked up the receiver. Light static mixed with the female secretarial like voice.

"Hello sir, a priority assignment came in last night. Five hundred grand, I guessed you would have wanted it transferred electronically so I have already wired it to your account. The target is a woman, would that be a problem?"

"When?" The response was rough, not caused by emotion but was more of a voice unaccustomed to talking.

"The deadline is by the end of this week, but the client seemed to have wanted it done as soon as possible. Will you be accepting this assignment?"

"Hai."

The female voice continued in a memorized fashion.

"Excellent, sir. The informational package will be delivered this evening. The assignment's status will be inputted as pending until the final procedures after the assignment are completed. For confirmation and insurance purposes, your agent number: 59873402 and code name Battosai will be tagged in this assignment until completion. Have a good day sir."

Both lines went dead.

_Reviews much appreciated. _

_Please, no cuss outs and total bashing. _**..**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own RK.

Chapter Two

It was hard to imagine that Kenji was a broken boy only a week ago. His wounds had healed nicely and he was even laughing more. No trace of the weary shadow that had been dimming his eyes showed that afternoon.

It was less than a perfect afternoon that day.

An overhang covered the skies, preventing sunlight from shining through the shield of gray. The city lights twinkled in vain against the depressing atmosphere of fog.

Kenji wouldn't have cared if it was pouring rain or if the skies were black with thunder. All he cared about was spending it with Kaoru.

A few days ago he had concluded with his young logic that he better enjoy every moment he was allotted to be happy. He couldn't remember the last time he felt safe and content. It was nice to always know what to expect.

The first kendo lesson he accompanied Kaoru to had been a little more than interesting. Kenji had become fast friends with Yahiko considering Kenji's antisocial tendencies. When Yahiko wasn't need to help with teaching, he kept Kenji occupied while Kaoru was busy with the students.

It bothered Kenji a little that he didn't have Kaoru's undivided attention while she taught classes and had to settle with just watching.

The way she handled the boken was fascinating, he had seen others handle a sword before, but Kaoru's movements had more purpose than the random swing to kill or maim.

"Kenji-chan?" Kaoru bent over to hover over Kenji's sitting form. Sweat slid down her face and disappeared into the chest armor.

He glanced up from his coloring book and beamed up at her face.

"Done?" He asked.

"Yeah, why don't you pack up your things and we can get ice cream?"

Kenji nodded his head eagerly. A loud clattering turned Kenji's head to the left.

Yahiko dropped his head guard and chest armor to the floor and sprawled next to Kenji and attempted to regulate his breathing. He untied the bandana from his forehead and wiped the excess sweat from his neck with the already drenched cloth.

"Mou Kaoru," he glared. "what was that demonstration for?! That wasn't even a match, it was physical abuse!"

The teenager complained as he shook off his arm guards and fanned himself with them; they made a flapping sound as he waved them back and forth in front of is face.

Kaoru straightened and stared down at him, placing her hands on her hips. The students milling around the dojo habitually gave plenty of room for the dojo master and her apprentice. Muttering about the match that Kaoru and Yahiko had just finished to demonstrate the next stage in offense they were to learn next week.

"It's to show you how much you have _not _improved. You've been slacking Yahiko-_chan._ Your stance is weak and your offense has too many holes. The only thing that saved you in today's match was your footwork.

Her face took on a dark look.

"And what did I say about peaking looks at Tsubame? EHH?!"

Yahiko's face was a bleached white quality during her lecture but flushed violently at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

"I-I WAS NOT! I wasn't distracted, you just went all out on me _busu._ Did you get dumped again?"

Turning to Kenji he mocked whispered, making sure he was loud enough for Kaoru to hear.

"Is she on her period? Has her stash of chocolate disappeared?"

Kenji just gave him a wide eyed look.

The attack was barely visible to the eye as the boken rebounded off of Yahiko's head. He sat crouched, clutching his injured head with both hands and soundly protested.

"That hurt busu!"

She resting the wooden sword on her shoulder.

"Stop being immature Yahiko-_CHAN._"

A definite bump showed through his chocolate brown hair.

"Sorry, I can't help but be immature when I'm in the same proximity of a BUSU."

Kaoru's face was peaceful as she walked away with Kenji in tow. Kenji glanced worriedly behind him to see a half comatose Yahiko laying on the floor; a mysterious white steam smoked from his head.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

The itinerary for that day consisted of breakfast, a morning at the dojo until lunch and then ice cream. Since it was a Saturday, going to the antique shop was not needed, a fact that made Kenji very happy. Weekday evenings were spent at the antique store and were deathly boring.

Kaoru had bought a make shift hammock to place near the cash register for Kenji to fall asleep in while she worked. Since her shop hours were from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Kenji had refused to be left with Megumi or Yahiko during the night. Even though the clinic was only a block a way and Yahiko's apartment was fairly close to her own, but he still refused.

Kenji's existence was a mystery Kaoru had yet to figure out. She had filed papers and sent in inquires to both the social services and missing children foundation. To her dismay, negative responses were returned.

Kaoru took it into her own hands to find out who Kenji was and to whom he belonged. Nothing came up on the social security data base, her own research came up with no clues. She even utilized her carefully concealed hack into the government documents and resources.

Positive she would at least find a half concealed footprint of Kenji's person, she was baffled when she came away from the computer screen with not even an iota of information.

It intrigued and worried her. Who was this Kenji?

"_Kenji, dear. Do you remember your last name?" _

_He gave her a funny look._

"_Last? Kenji is Kenji."_

"_Mmm." She thought of a better way to explain._

"_Kenji-chan," she called to catch his attention._

"_What is my name?"_

"_Ka-chan." His answer was confident. _

_She had been embarrassed the first time he had called her that nick name. To pronounce her whole name was a feat he could not achieve without being tongue tied, so he had shortened her name on his own to fit his preference. _

_She became accustomed to her nick name (it was better than what some gave her to work with) but strangers still starred when they caught him calling her "Ka-chan" thinking he was calling her "mommy" (Kaa-chan). _

_She smiled to show that his answer was correct._

"_And my last name is Kamiya. So I have two names, Kaoru and Kamiya. Do you have something like that?"_

_Kenji's face fell at her question. He wasn't confused from the question but distressed that he did not have a second name like his Kaoru. _

"_No," he mumbled quietly. _

_Kaoru watched as he drew into himself once again. Not allowing him to draw away from her, she hugged him around the shoulders._

"_No worries, Kenji-chan. Everyone has two names, but you only have one. Your special, like.. like.. Twenty Faces*. He didn't even have a true name, remember?" _

_She took the blanket on the couch and threw it over her shoulder like a cape and brought an arm up to cover half of her face. _

"_I am Twenty Faces. Whoosh." She said in a deep voice. _

_Grabbing another blanket, she draped it over Kenji's shoulders. Grasping the ends up to his nose so that only his eyes and the top of his bright head showed._

"_Twendy Faces!" He leapt off the chair and ran around the couch to feel the blanket billow behind._

_Kaoru followed his lead._

Kaoru grinned at the memory. It was a while before they had let the make shift capes fall. The only reason they did fall was because it was nearing lunch time.

Upon exiting the dojo, Kaoru was glad she had bundled up Kenji in warm clothes. Looking up to the grey sky, she reminded herself to keep an umbrella with her and wondered how soon it would be before the first snow fall.

"Are you still feeling for ice cream? Doesn't hot chocolate sound better?" She inquired.

Kenji's cheeks already were dusted in pink from the cold and white puffs lingered in the air from his breath.

"Warm?" He guessed. She smiled in agreement.

"Then I think hot chock-ate is better."

Kenji still had a little problem pronouncing words. She grinned at his pronunciation.

"It's also called hot coco." she informed him and headed towards the family owned coffee shop.

"Hot coco." He agreed gleefully, punching the air with a gloved fist to express his excitement.

"Yay to hot coco!" Kaoru imitated Kenji's punch.

"Hahaha! Hot coco!" Kenji laughed and swung their clasped hands in rhythm to their walking.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

"A hot coco and an Americano please."

"What size?"

"Small for the chocolate and a medium Americano."

"That's 950 yen, please."

She fished out the right amount the handed it to the cashier.

"Thank you, your order should be out shortly."

Smiling her thanks to the cashier, she shoved her wallet back into her duffle bag. Turning to look for seats, she rested her hand on Kenji's shoulder.

"Let's look for seats buddy."

His grip on her pants were tight. He didn't like crowded places. His beanie hung by his neck by the straps and he had unzipped his jacket in the warm store. Kaoru rubbed comforting circles on his back as they headed towards a corner table with a love seat. She set her bag on the corner of the couch and sat down. Kenji settled himself close to her.

He looked at her shyly.

"Wanna see my drawings?"

"I'd love to."

He grinned happily and dug through the duffle bag and pulled out the sketch book. He animately showed her the re-created drawings of the picture books they had shared the day before.

Misshapen purple dinosaurs and green butterflies roamed freely within the papers. He had even done some hiragana* she had drawn for him to copy later. She praised his work and art at every page he pointed out. Asking him to tell her the story of the pictures when she didn't understand what they were displaying.

"Small hot chocolate and Americano." Came the shout of their order above the loud din of machines and people's chatter.

"Be right back with our drinks, kay?"

"Kay." He agreed and continued inspecting his own work.

Kaoru crossed the room and started to add condiments to her coffee.

She heard a sound that made her heart skip in horror and dread. A muffled and terrified "Ka-chan!" that didn't mix with the happy atmosphere of the coffee shop.

She jerked towards the couches and saw a man in casual clothes with dark glasses and hat, he had lifted Kenji off the couch by the back of his shirt. His hand covered Kenji's mouth and nose preventing him from taking a breath to make noise. Kenji grappled with the hand that covered his face and his feet kicked at the top of the sofa.

Cursing at her lack of sense of her surroundings. She dashed across the room, knocking a few people on the shoulder in her rush; they exclaimed their displeasure at being rudely jolted.

In three precise jabs, the man's arms were numbed and he dropped Kenji back onto the couch. He stumbled back and gritted his teeth at her interference. He straightened and prepared to charge at her.

Kaoru grabbed Kenji off the couch and fisted her had around the straps of her duffle bag. When the man was an arm length distance she swung her bag in an arc. It connected solidly with the man's head. The man was forced backwards and knocked down the plant decorations as he slid down the wall.

The room was quiet except for the music playing from the speakers. The hat was knocked off and the glasses were crooked on his face. She memorized his facial features and turned towards the exit.

"He's a child kidnapper." She told everyone the excuse.

"Could you call the police for me? Thanks." Kaoru nodded in acknowledgment towards the workers. Kenji was wrapped around her middle and had buried his head into her neck. She braced him with both arms after strapping the bag over her shoulder.

The reaction from the customers was exactly what she hoped. Some of the men in the shop swarmed the man and physically retained him when he had unsteadily attempted to stand up.

She quickly walked down the street towards the nearest subway entrance. She took out the cell phone in her back pocket and dialed a number. The phone only rung once to be answered.

"Misao, I need you to wipe the tapes from the coffee shop on the corner of first and seventh. I'm walking south on seventh and taking the subway line eight to the east district of down town Tokyo. I need all the surveillance covered in those areas."

"Gotcha," Came the happy reply. "Did you leave me any human specimens?"

"Of course I did." The subway doors closed behind her and she leaned against a pole.

"Yum." Misao giggled. "You've got 15 minutes."

"More than enough." Kaoru pressed the end button.

She turned towards Kenji and rubbed his back with the hand that held the phone. She pulled his hat back on his red head.

She pressed her cheek to his forehead and whispered in his ear.

"It's okay, your safe."

Turning back to her phone she punched in a different number.

"Yo." Came the answer.

"Sano, you remember all those favors you owe me. I'm calling them all in."

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

A flick of the wrist left droplets of red on the floor and wall.

The body was left sprawled on the floor, like a marionette without strings attached. It rested in it's own pile of blood as red stained the dress and shaw she wore.

The woman's long black hair splayed on the tile floor, strands were clumped together where blood was present. Although her hair was long, ends of the midnight tress just brushed the shoulder of the body.

The woman's head lay a few feet away.

A clean decapitation.

Muted ringing strained through the quiet room. Street lamp light shined across a pale hand on the floor and reach no further; cut off by the frame of the window.

A rustle came over from the receiver, no sound from the caller as he held the phone to his ear.

"Location confirmed. Agents dispatched." came the automatic voice.

The door closed behind the blooded apartment.

The assassin strolled down to the end of the hallway. The man made no noise in the way he walked. The swords at his side did not click together from the shifting of his hips. Only the blood dripping from the ends of his black jacket, creating a neat trail of blood along the marble floor, left a trace of his presence.

Unlocking the apartment door at the far end of the hall, he slipped in and locked the door soundly.

He stood by the door for a moment, the smell of blood he brought with him filled the room. Slipping the swords off, they were placed against the wall. He stepped out of his shoes and the socks came next. He paused before stepping off the wooded entry way.

Jerking out of his clothes, he stripped down and left the clothes a bloody mess next to his shoes. It wasn't difficult to find the shower.

Steam filled the bathroom. He stood under the hot spray and watched as small rivers of red disappeared down the drain.

Topaz eyes were bright under his wet bangs. His hand went to the right to touch the scrub towel hanging from a bar. He lifted his left arm and brushed the towel down his arm. He brushed it down again and then a third time. A bit harder than the last.

He scrubbed, and scrubbed and scrubbed.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

"You'd think this place would be clean, right?"

Wide eyes took in the blood with disinterest. He viewed the splatters on the wall and floor like one would at an art exhibit.

A short man with slightly thinning hair walked around the room amongst the many people milling around the apartment. He stopped near a tape perimeter and bent down for a closer look.

He whistled.

"A clean cut."

He took out a pen and brushed aside the long black hair to view the neck of the woman. He tilted his head like a bird and traced the woman's face with the end of his pen.

"Tsk, too bad. Such a beauty."

"Captain Iizuka, I need your approval for the completion of this assignment."

A man clothed in a white jumper with a mask hanging around his neck stood over the crouched captain. A folder held out for Iizuka to take. Without taking his eyes off of the decapitated woman's face, he took the folder and flicked it open.

Averting his wide eyes to it's contents he read.

"Fujimoto Mishina. Oh," He flipped a page. "Sneaky sneaky, fake name. Real name, Yukishiro Shizuka. Twenty-three, currently a primary school instructor. Residence in south Tokyo. Previous rank in company.. "

His eye brows rose in surprise.

"...Special Opts."

The man in white made no comment and waited silently for the return of the folder. Iizuka, took out a cylinder shaped white marble. He popped off the cap and brought the stamp down on the indicated area on the document. Once he closed the folder, it was out of his hands and he watched as the folder disappeared out the door. He licked his lips.

Lips slashed in a crooked smile.

Huffing a smile, he crouched back in his original position to look at the dead girl.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

The apartment furnishings were modern despite the heavy dust that layered the floor and pieces of unlucky furniture that were left uncovered.

The walls were occupied by wall decorations. A fairly large painting with an aged gold frame hung on the far wall without the window. A tall vase artfully stood next to the right with the same carved design as the picture's frame. A large mirror reflected the vague shape of a grande piano covered by a tarp sheet.

The room was illuminated by the glow of an electronic light, like that of a television or computer. The light came from a wall sized screen, the room flickered with the moving pixels on screen. The wall was divided into various boxes, each showing different parts of town and people.

Furious typing and clicking came from the small figure sitting comfortably on an extra stuffed cushion that lifted the person a good 5 inches off the dusty floor. Her long braid was tucked safely under the key board resting on her lap. Two mini computers sat next to her feet scrolling a matrix of codes and numbers she seemed to understand.

Jabbing the enter button, she smiled widely as a red word, 'recording', blinked on all the separate screens. A recording that the security cameras on the subways and the streets would be seeing for the next 15 minutes.

Grinning widely, she slumped slightly in her seat and basked in the completion of her work. The beautiful breach of security and hacking into lines supposedly believed to be impregnable.

A shrill ring had her moving off the cushion after closing the screens of the two laptops. Jumping on to a chair in front of the screen she grabbed hold to a string and jumped down and pealed the screen off the wall. One of those paper thin digital screens not yet released to the public or the government.

She was half way shoving the folded screen into it's bag when a different ring interrupted her work. Grabbing a square device, she glanced at the number on the glowing screen and shoved the ear piece into her ear.

"Hello?" she chirped.

Grunting a little when the screen caught on the bag.

"Misao, you need to get out."

" I am, I am."

She shook the bag hoping that the excess amount of screen still sticking out of the bag would disappear.

"Damn it Misao, that better not be the screen I hear being man handled by your gorilla hands."

"Shut it Chan boy, I'll kick your ass to kingdom come and make sure you don't make it past the pearly gates."

She hustled across the floor to the window with the fire escape. Strapped the gear on to her back.

And jumped.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

A teenager about the age of seventeen sat in the driver's seat of a fairly new 2006 Honda Civic. His hands rested on top of the wheel as he idly picked off dead skin on his thumb. The weather allowed for the heavy jacket and knitted beanie he wore.

A rap on the passenger window made him jump a little but he made it seem like he was rolling his shoulders when he saw who it was that was knocking.

The small woman settled into her seat and chucked her baggage to the back seat.

"Hey!" the teenager frowned at her actions. "That's a few million you just threw back there, be gentle with it, sheesh."

The small woman rolled her eyes.

"Just start the car kid, we're on a schedule here remember.

He had already started the car and rolled away from the curb. He glanced anxiously at the passenger who was busy texting on her blackberry phone.

"Is Kaoru okay? What's going on."

His facial features twisted in annoyance at her silence.

"Nuh huh, Misao. You ARE going to tell me what's going on. I don't care if you out rank me or if you were ordered to keep me uninformed. I need to know, I have the right to know. The last time this alert went out-"

His nostrils flared at the unpleasant thought. Face white with stress.

"At least tell me whether she's alive or not."

Misao didn't pause her fevered typing on the blackberry. The phone rang consecutive times notifying that messages were being sent and received.

"Such a drama queen Yahiko-chan. Kao is fine, there's just been a minor attack, that's all."

His eyes widened.

"Kenji? Is he alright? Was he taken?"

"Kenji's fine. He's still in Kaoru's custody, though it was a close call. Alright, they're heading towards the Kutsuji hideout. You do know how to get there right? Or do you need me to GPS it for you?"

Yahiko scoffed.

"Of course I know how to get there Weasel. I am the transporter, it's my job to know."

He pushed the car faster now that he knew the destination.

"Oh playing big boy now are we Yahiko-_Chan." _

"Don't call me_ chan."_

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

A man sat lazing on the weathered couch, his large body easily taking up more than half the space provided for sitting. He was by no means large in an obese way but large in stature and height in body. His arms were extended away from his body, resting on the back of the couch. His head tilled back as he studied the brown water stained ceiling and contemplatively crewed on a tooth pick.

For the whole ten minutes Kenji and Kaoru sat waiting at the apartment, Kenji wasn't able to tear his eyes away from the impossibly large man. Eyes wide with trepidation and awe, Kenji was certainly glued to Kaoru's side, he fisted both hands in her jacket which was in danger of tearing at the seams with his grip but she didn't seem to mind as she typed furiously at her lap top.

"Ahhh uhhhh.."

The man blinked open one eye at Kaoru to see her reaction to his transparent attempt for her attention. She continued with her typing and regularly murmuring to the boy at her side to his whispered inquiries.

"AHHH Uhhh!"

He tried louder. This time he straightened on the couch and openly glared at the woman. Out of the two, he had caught the attention of the boy. Disgruntled that he had caught the acknowledgment of the wrong person he shifted in his seat and groped for something to hurl at Kaoru's face.

Kaoru flicked her eyes towards the loud man, irked that she had given into his annoyingly persistent acts of childish indulgences.

"What is it Sano."

He rolled the piece of wood between his lips and regarded the woman and child through half lidded eyes. Kaoru still had her full attention towards the computer screen when his cell phone rang.

The phone tinkered on the kitchen counter as it's melody continued. When Sano lumbered off the of the couch Kenji's eyes became wider and his mouth parted in wonder at the 6'4" man.

_It's a giant. _

Kenji leaned away from Kaoru slightly to keep the man in his line of view.

Kenji jumped a little when Kaoru got up from her seat. He hadn't noticed when she shut down the computer and placed it on the coffee table. Kenji panicked when she drew away from the living room and headed towards one of the three bed rooms in the apartment.

_Don't leave me._

She caught his look when she passed the back of the couch and paused to ruffle his red locks. He leaned into her touch even though he hated having his hair tousled. But if it was Kaoru, he supposed it was be alright.

"Yo, you here?"

Sano paused to hear what was said on the other end.

"Yeah, we'll be right down."

He dropped the phone into his pocket and bellowed to Kaoru who was just exiting the room with two large duffle bags.

"Time to go Jou-chan. You want me to carry those?"

He motioned to her burdens but she shook her head.

"I think It'd be best if you take the computer bag and Kenji. If something happens, you'll be able to fight better even if you carry Kenji."

Kenji leap to Kaoru's side and glanced at the large man in trepidation.

"Hey little man, I promise I won't drop ya."

Kenji clutched Kaoru closer and looked up to her for direction.

"It's alright Kenji-chan." She patted his shoulder and gave him a small hug.

"Sano won't hurt you, a rooster head can't do much harm anyway. Just look his head, it's just like Big Bird on Sesame Street.

Kenji stared at Sano's head for a moment before he grinned marginally and turned back to Kaoru.

"Ah.. it does Ka-chan."

Sano didn't know whether to be affronted or appalled. The shock of what Kenji called her overtook his anger at his hated nick name. He looked Kaoru sharply in the eyes, accusing and questioning simultaneously. She shook her head and mouthed 'later'. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously but agreed.

Kenji had deemed it safe to trust the man, his Ka-chan seemed to trust this Sano and so would he. Kenji stood next to the large man, the top of his head barely reached Sano's waist. Sano scooped him up in one smooth motion and they marched towards the front door to their awaiting transportation.

Kenji looked at Sano with curiosity.

"May I call you Big Bird-san Sano-san?" Kenji's face was set in a serious pout and met the older man eyes with honest hope.

He heard Kaoru stifle a laugh behind them.

He turned back to Kenji to bluntly decline his request but large amethyst orbs peered up at him with pending joy ready to come forth with a word of his affirmation. He glanced away from the young boy and tried to give his answer.

"Sano-san?" Came the small voice when Sano did not answer quickly enough. Kenji had lowered his eyes in shame, his young mind coming to the conclusion that his request had caused Sano-san to hate him. Kenji nervously plucked at the loose tread on Sano's shirt and waited for the answer.

Sano blanched at the distress he had caused the child in his arms. He sighed deeply in dismay and let his answer fall from his lips.

"Hai, you may call me Big Bird-san"

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

The three were able to leave the apartment without complication and meet up with Yahiko "Yako-nii!"and Misao at the back ally of the apartment complex.

Kaoru fidgeted anxiously to know why the president of their organization asked to meet up with herself and Kenji. Misao had informed her of the president's requests during the car ride. The meeting place used the ruse of a high class tea garden to disguise that fact that it was where most of the organization's business meetings took place. To the public eye, the organization she worked for was presented as a prestigious PR company that represented Japanese and various international companies. But that was only a facade, the origins of the organization were unknown to everyone except the president and the other members of the inner circle.

The car smoothly halted in the terrance of the main gate of the enclosed property. The whole property was about two acres and consisted of a traditional tea house and a three story building that functioned both as a restaurant and an inn.

The air was biting but the sun was out and shinning brightly. The occupants ambled out of the vehicle and were formally greeted by the head butler of the estate. He ensured that their possessions would be well taken care of and he ushered them past the wooden gates.

The garden was beautiful even in it's winter season. The walk ways were dusted with salt to keep them from becoming slick with frost.

Kaoru swallowed the thick lump that formed in the back of her throat. Her childhood home hadn't changed much except for the recent installation of the Peace Lantern next to the plum trees and a few new additions to the aquatic collection of the main pond.

A shadow of bright orange from under the pond's surface caught Kenji's eye as they passed and his eyes grew wide. He tugged on the hand holding his and pointed timidly toward the passing lake.

Kaoru smiled at his silent question.

"Let's go see them later, kay Kenji?"

He clutched her hand with both of his and nodded severely. Kaa-chan had told him they were going to a big house of meet an important man and if he was a good boy then they'd be able to play afterwards.

The servants of the estate were dressed in uniform of black. The maintenance crew donned the western style uniform while the servers and maids wore the traditional kimono. A sliding door opened for them once they approached and an elder woman greeted the group.

"Konbanwa. Kamiya-sama."

"Okani-san! It's good too see you and please, call me Kaoru."

"It certainly has been a long time, Miss. You have not visited as you said you would."

The old woman chuckled lightly at Kaoru's guilty grin and addressed the rest of the group.

"Dinner is to be served in twenty minutes, until then, you may be free to do what you wish."

"Great!" Sano entered and continued down the hallway. "I'm starving."

"You're always hungry, pig." Yahiko scoffed from behind.

"What did you call me kid."

Sano stopped to stare down at the teenager. Misao skirted around them and continued down the polished hallway.

"Oh sorry, I meant CHICKEN HEAD."

The rest of the group continued on as the scuffle started. A near by house keeper stressed about the recently buffed wooden floors. Kaoru cringed inwardly when a faint tinkling of china breaking sounded from behind them. Kenji grinned at the two men and brought a hand up to cover his smile.

Misao continued facing them by walking backwards and grinned widely at Okani-san.

"Is Aoshi-sama here?" She asked excitedly.

"He is, I could show you to where he-"

But Misao was gone with a quick"that's okay, I know the way" and her waving hand disappeared around a corner.

An aged hand was placed lightly on Kaoru's arm before she could continue further down the hallway to her old room.

"Katsura-sama requested for your and the young boy's audience before dinner. He is already speaking with someone but he wished to ask for you at your arrival."

"Oh? Where is he waiting?"

"In his study. If you would follow me, Miss."

"That's alright Okani-san, I haven't forgotten. I know you're busy, especially with all the guests."

" Until dinner then." Kaoru mirrored Okani's slight bow and continued with Kenji. They turned a left instead of continuing down.

They stopped in front of a sliding door, the light from inside the room glowed through the paper on the door. She looked down at Kenji as he stood nervously behind her, his hand still holding hers. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and smiled.

"Don't worry Kenji, uncle is a nice man."

He nodded his upturned face and relaxed slightly. She knocked firmly twice on the dark wood of the door.

" Katsura-san? It's Kaoru."

"Come in Kaoru." The answer was muffled by the door.

The door smoothly slid to the right and brighter light illuminated the two figures at the door.

She took a step backward in shock. Her body blocked Kenji entirely from view of the other two occupants in the room and gaped incredulity. The stupor wasn't caused by her uncle but rather the second man seated facing Katsura. The man was dressed in a a forrest green haori and a black hakama, his long hair was tied up high and the ends of his long hair reached his lower back.

But what caught her off guard was the bright coloring of his hair and the shape of his face that uncannily resembled only one other person that she knew. Her eyes flitted across his face. Every thing was the same, except for the eyes. Sharp and calculative; bright like a hunter.

_A dangerous man_.

Yet they were hard and vacant, like looking out a window and finding nothing but a wall. So what caused the smothering burning behind the dead eyes?

A movement caught her eye and she turned to regard her uncle when he shifted forward. She noticed Katsura watching the bright haired man anxiously, an apprehensive line formed between his eye brows. Her uncle's glance to the man wasn't of fear or trepidation but of anticipation.

Her excuse for retreating died on her lips when she felt the small body behind her shift and the two men glanced down as Kenji peered from behind her, curious of the cause to the delay. She wanted to cover Kenji's face, his hair, his body; wanted to haul him back behind the screen.

It was already too late.

She stiffened when she saw the tawny eyes grow with disbelief. She glared at Katsura as he also regarded Kenji, artfully masking satisfaction with detachment; but she knew her uncle and saw the subtle change in the shape of his eyes whenever he suppressed a smile.

To her horror, her intensely timid Kenji, released her hand and took confident and quick steps toward the red headed man. Kenji brought a small hand up to the older man's pony tail and fingered the ends of different but identical red locks. The older clone only stared in wide eyed shock at the vision of himself.

"Mister, we have the same hair." Kenji grinned brilliantly.

Her eyes narrowed at her uncle's reaction; he knew. Just how much he knew, she was going to find out.

Her eyes flickered back and forth between the younger and older red head.

"Kaoru-chan, I was waiting for you." Her uncle amiably waved her forward.

"Why don't you come sit down next to Himura-san?"

What was going on?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I know, cruel cliffhanger.

Thanks for reading. =] Hope you enjoyed this installment.

Really appreciate everyone's favs&reviews&alerts (whatever else I'm missing)

I've already started on the next chapter of Rainbow Veins. OTL.. about 2 sentences.


	3. Chapter 3 Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own RK.

Chapter Three

Kaoru watched the milky water in front of her as clouds of white steam swirled up into the cool night air. She sighed and leaned back against the smooth stone that made up the walls and seating areas of the private hot springs that were reserved only to the VIP clients of her uncle's organization, the residents and workers of the tea house. The meeting earlier that evening with her uncle and the man named Himura was anything but pleasant. She learned in her younger years that demanding answers from her uncle was like demanding sweets from Okani-san before dinner; simply impossible. Her uncle always answered her questions when he saw fit, but that was when she was younger.

Immersing her nose under water, she blew bubbles in frustration.

She was not a child.

A moan came from her right as six year old Kenji clung to the edge of the pool.

"Ka-chan, it's too hot."

She chuckled and dipped a small towel from the edge of the pool into a bucket of cold water. Motioning for Kenji to come closer, which he did sluggishly, and placed the cold towel around his neck.

"Not enough, Ka-chan. It's too hot."

"Alright," Kaoru lifted Kenji out of the water by his arm pits and settled him on the edge of the pool, hoping that the cold air would cool off the boy. "Two more minutes and then we'll move to the cooler pool and swim around, kay?"

"But I don't know how to swim." Kenji stated with disappointed eyes, thinking that he wouldn't be able to join because he didn't know how to swim.

"Then I'll just have to teach you." She grinned up at him and patted his bare knee.

"Is it hard? Swimming." He peered down at her in trepidation.

"Nope," she answered cheerfully. "Just like riding a bike."

"I liked learning to ride a bike, it was fun." Kenji tugged on the towel around his neck and grinned excitedly.

Kaoru clenched her teeth together in a grin to keep from laughing. She had taught Kenji to ride a bike the last time they were at the neighborhood park, but it had been a tricycle. She had an inkling that for Kenji anything that encompassed wheels fell under the category of "bike" at the moment.

The meeting with her uncle earlier that evening ended rather abruptly when both her uncle and Himura Kenshin were called away by a male servant. Katsura had engaged Kenji in an animated conversation on the various activities that they would be able to amuse themselves with for the week they were expected to be staying at the inn.

Both her uncle and the other man had given her pointed looks.

She brushed the faint indents of half circles imprinted from clenching her hand; patience, being a quality that clearly skipped her and blessed it onto other members of her generation.

Kaoru was pleased that Kenji took a liking to her uncle but it annoyed her to no end at the information her uncle was keeping to himself. She didn't want to start the "he knew, they knew" but it was high time that she received some answers, and if her uncle had been keeping tabs on her access to the main data base, then she was positive he had either taken the information out or was blocking her access. At least that answered the question to why she couldn't find anything on Kenji during her research.

What kind of informant couldn't pull out simple information about an innocent kid. She scoffed unbelievingly. Just how long had her uncle been aware of her custody of Kenji?

Kenji's slight shivering brought her back to the hot water. Kenji shook again and gingerly started to lower himself back into the warm water.

"Kinda cold now." He smiled sheepishly and splashed himself back into the water.

Water ran off her as Kaoru stepped out from the pool to wrap herself in a dry towel and secured it tightly before holding out another towel for Kenji.

"Time to go, dinner should almost be ready."

Kenji and Kaoru entered their private changing room and she attended to Kenji first. Kaoru quickly got both of them dressed in the customary yukata the bath house provided for the guests and headed towards the dinning hall.

The hallways flitted with guests that chose to dine in the hall while servers waited on individuals who ordered room service. The small hand clasped in her own frequently tugged for her attention to point out various aspects of the inn from funny looking guests ("Kenji! Shh..") to pieces of art and furniture.

Kenji was commenting on a man's hair style that reminded him of an insect from a children's picture book before he cut off mid-sentence; distracted by the outlay of food. The workers settled guests to long tables with their respectable groups; plush mats with back rests lined the tables and quickly filled with people. Cheerful conversation bubbled from groups of customers as they eyed the food and conversed with servers.

The food was promptly served after all the guests were settled. The thanking for the food was spoken in unison before everyone eagerly began. She cringed when two embarrassingly loud exclaims came from her table. The tables sat seven people to each side and was wide enough to comfortably accommodate two bodies at the ends.

She expected the meal to be entertaining and merry but far from peaceful due to the the seating arrangements. She was encircled by both Sano and Yahiko; Sano to her right and Yahiko at the left. A common fact that the 'breaking of bread' never passed peacefully with the two sitting at the same table. She doubted the feeble distance of only three seats could defend her (Tsubame or Kenji for that matter) from the two pigs.

Yahiko made an indignant sound as Sano stole a piece of beef Yahiko was marinating in his sauce bowl.

"Hey! That's mine!"

Sano had already swallowed before Yahiko finished speaking.

Kaoru barked out both of their names before their table could be overturned in a petty fight over food. Thankfully, the cheerful babble in the room continued undisturbed. Tsubame blushed nervously beside Yahiko and quietly offered to ask for more. While Yahiko was momentarily distracted in assuring Tsubame that it was fine, Kaoru watched with distain as Sano seemed to breath in all the food at his reaching distance.

"Ah.. well."

Sano smacked his lips in satisfaction.

"I'm gonna have to give my complements to Okani-san. She's out done herself again. I think that's the best meal I've ever had!"

"That's what you say every time you eat here Sano." Kaoru turned to him after cutting the fish into smaller bites for Kenji.

"Mmmhm, it seems to keep getting better and better." He grinned happily and patted his stomach.

"And it has nothing to do with the fact it's free?"

"Of course it's not..."

Sano scoffed nervously and took a swig of his tea and examined the dark dregs at the bottom of the porcelain cup. He placed the tea cup disdainfully back on to the table.

"I definitely need something stronger than tea. Sake would hit the spot."

"You are not drinking here, at this table, nor am I joining you." She formed the words around half a mouth full of food and pointed her chopsticks at him in warning.

Sano gave a short laugh. "Don't worry Jou-chan. Today I plan on drinking with someone who can take more than three shots."

He waved three fingers at her and patted her shoulder. Kaoru turned back to her food.

"I never had a drink with you Sano." She retorted with disinterest.

"Yeah well," Sano took the bones of a fish to use it as a tooth pick. "That's because you were already wasted after the second shot and blacked out after the third."

"It doesn't count if I don't remember."

"If everyone thinks that way Jou-chan, there are a whole lot of bastards out there not drinking enough. And you are such a bad drunk!" Sano's grin faded. "A horrible drunk. You might not remember that night but I do. You know you're the reason why we're not allowed back at Fabio's! There's a hot girl that works there too!"

"Haha! Who names a bar Fabio?" Kaoru laughed around her tea cup.

"Do you even remember that night at all? Do you even remember what you did that day?"

"Don't be ridiculous Sano." She took a another sip of her tea. "Of course I don't."

Sano stared incredulity for a second before shifting.

"You are not allowed to drink." He pointed a commanding finger at her.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and continued eating.

"Ka-chan, could I have more please."

Kenji held up his empty tea cup.

"Of course Kenji, here, you can have mine. It's already cooled down."

Kaoru switched her cup with the one he held out and watched a moment as he drank before turning back to her own. By mistake she glimpsed Sano's way and grimaced at what she saw, she hoped he would have been distracted by the food to remember the promise she had made earlier.

Sano twirled two chopsticks between his teeth and regarded the young boy who was contently munching on his portion of rice and fish as he played with a paper figurine Kaoru had made for him while they were waiting for their food to be served.

He slid his eyes to Kaoru's face and stared with a bland expression.

"_Kaa-chan_, ey." Sano questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Kaoru blushed despite having explained the nickname more than a dozen times to others since Kenji had been in her care. She knew Sano felt disappointed that she had not come to him with her situation. Being her childhood friend and the closest thing she had to an older brother.

"Sano-" she started but cut off at what Sano said.

"How in the world were you able to hide that kid for the past what, three or four years? And I don't remember you ever pregnant, I mean, yeah, you were kinda fat during high school- My god Kaoru! Is that why you were chubby?! Why didn't you tell me!"

The two chopsticks clattered on to the table when Sano ended with a semi-shout. A few heads turned from near by tables to see who was yelling.

"Sano, stop yelling!" Kaoru hissed through her teeth and yanked on his forearm. "I swear I'll tell everyone the real reason you were hospitalized for three days last year."

Sano froze.

"I'm sure Megumi-san would be interested about that _infection_ that had you bed ridden." Kaoru smirked.

Sano turned three shades of red before he breathed out. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"Alright, alright." Sano held up both hands in front of him.

"So what's going on, who is Kenji. He can't really be your kid." He lowered his voice to a mummer.

"No, no. That's just what he calls me. He can't really pronounce 'Kaoru' yet."

Sano chewed on a lone chopstick, it's partner had bounced off the table and rolled somewhere underneath and he didn't feel like blindly groping around for it when he would probably only come up with a stranger's foot.

Kaoru told him from the beginning; how she found Kenji on the street injured and had taken him to see Megumi- "Megumi knew!"- and how Yahiko had been taking care of Kenji when she was busy. She told him the reason why she called him now and the odd fact that she was never able to find information on Kenji regardless of her access as an 'informant' within the organization. Also the more puzzling fact that Katsura seemed to already know of Kenji.

Sano ran a hand through his hair.

"Man, Jou-chan. You should have told me, I coulda helped you." He looked at her disapprovingly.

"I needed information Sano, not a 'guard'."

"Yeah well, what are you going to do now."

She looked down at Kenji and patted his bright head. He looked up questioningly, Kaoru just smiled to show that nothing was wrong, and he smiled back brightly and continued to play with the paper figurine. Her hand dropped to his shoulder and she lightly hugged him to her side. At her small tug, Kenji snuggled under her arm and continued to play, having enough manners to wait for his turn for Kaoru's attention.

"I don't know."

She hoped her uncle had a better plan that she did.

All the while during dinner, bright eyes watched unblinkingly at the actions of Kaoru and the young boy. His face was passive but his eyes that were usually void of emotion, flickered with confusion and curiosity.

Katsura's lips twitched with satisfaction as he watched the young man sitting next to him. He minded the business man that was vying for his attention for a deal, but he watched the young man from the corner of his eye. Pleased with how things were coming about, Katsura enjoyed his tea as he watched the subtle emotions play across Kenshin's face.

Kenshin excused himself and got up from the table. Katsura followed suit but stopped when he saw that his niece was heading his way. Katsura suppressed a smirk at the younger man's conduct and smiled instead.

"Kaoru dear, did you enjoy dinner. I'm sorry I wasn't able to sit with you tonight."

He patted her shoulder with affection.

"That's alright uncle. Kenji and I are pretty tired, I just wanted to tell you that we are going to bed."

Kaoru weakly smiled at her uncle, although she was upset, it had been so long. She had missed the man that had raised her.

Frustrated that her uncle always knew how to make her feel like a child, she gave a small huff and frowned.

"I want to talk uncle."

Katsura nodded in agreement and promised they would tomorrow.

She didn't expect anything less, she knew that the nightly business meetings were soon to start.

"Good night Kenji." Katsura waved friendly at the child.

"G'night sir." Kenji piped up from where he was holding Kaoru's hand.

She watched as her uncle followed a few hefty business men out into the hall way. Katsura stopped in the open door way and spoke to someone blocked by the screen door. Katsura smiled and then turned to follow the other men. Kaoru quickly turned away and headed for a different exit than the one her uncle took when the young man she was introduced to earlier that evening, as Himura, came out from behind the paper screen.

It was just a glance, but it unnerved her. She was cold in the heated room and the hairs on her arms stood on end. It startled her how he immediately found her at his first glance into the crowded room.

_What was that?_

She slowed her pace when she noticed she was dragging Kenji and apologized while she picked him up into her arms. She looked around the crowed main hall and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when Himura was no where to be seen.

Turning towards their room, Kaoru listened half-heartily listened to Kenji about the story about the paper man and allowed herself to believe that Himura had not been looking at her but at someone else. The thought calmed her down and she settled herself and Kenji into bed.

For a long while, she stayed awake, listening to Kenji's deep breathing. Tired now that the blankets were warm with body heat, she closed her eyes and hoped that tomorrow would come with some answers.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

A/N:

Hey guys. I've been holding on to this chapter for so long because I don't like the flow of the ending of this chapter.

So I thought I'd give you the part I'm happy with.

Sorry sorry sorry, for not updating. _::

The second part should be uploaded tomorrow or tuesday.

Thanks for all your reviews!!!!!


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